The use of mobile communication devices continues to grow, and so does the array of services offered by service providers and carriers. Service providers are able to provide users, i.e. subscribers, with both voice and data communication services. Data services for mobile communication devices typically utilize wireless packet data service networks for the data transfer sessions.
In order to use their mobile communications device, e.g. voice and/or data communications, a subscriber needs to “sign-on” with a carrier or service provider. A network relay interfaces the carrier or service provider with the enterprise or corporate network associated with the subscriber. The sign-on or activation process involves creating a registration for the mobile communications device in the network relay, for example, a provisioning system at the relay. Registration involves creating a SIM (Subscriber Identification Module) and a billing contract for the subscriber in the provisioning system. The carrier then activates the subscriber using a billing identifier (BID).
If the registration is faulty, then billing problems can arise. One such scenario occurs when the registration for the mobile communications device on the provisioning system for a network relay is missing or includes subscriber information which differs from the subscriber's billing information with the carrier or service provider. This leads to double billing scenarios between the network provisioning system and the carrier, which is clearly undesirable. Accordingly, there remains a need for improvements in the art.
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